RIYADH: The International Jockeys Challenge proved the perfect curtain raiser to the Saudi Cup as eight races brought some of the world’s best female and male riders to the King Abdulaziz Racetrack for the first time.
On a fine sunny day in Riyadh, the action started at 3.20pm with 1400m (7f) Saudi Bred Maiden, which was won by Etsaam, ridden by Aldaham. Abu Thamer came second with Dayaan third.
The second race of the day, the Equestrian Club Award, saw Saodad, ridden by Irad Ortiz, come home ahead of second place Ibtahej, and Rabiae Blaady.
But it was the the first International Jockeys Challenge of the day that got the swelling crowd going. Run over 1400m (7f), it saw Lisa Allpress, riding Matmon, storm to a win and create history as the first female winner in Saudi Arabia.
“I honestly came here with a very open mind,” Allpress said. “We’ve been very looked after…like I said I had no expectations. I decided to come out with open mind and just enjoy it.”
The win saw her take the early lead of Jockey’s Challenge with 15 points while Olivier Pesilier on Motayammen came in second with Sibylle Vogt on Dolma in third . Crowd favorite Frankie Dettorie, on Moshaghebah, came fifth, behind A Alfouraidi in fourth.
The second Jockeys Challenge, and fourth race of the day, followed shortly afterwards with Mike Smith on Sun Hat leaving the rest of the field in his dust to claim an easy 15 points. Mickaelle Michel on Seif Alsharq came second with Vogt on Laurence in third.
“Really loved this dirt course, I hoping that America takes look at it, it’s a really nice course,” Smith said after the race. “I was blessed to come here many, many years ago at the old track, so I hadn’t been back since. To get started for the big day tomorrow, it’s good way to get started.”
The Equestrian Club Award, Saudi-bred fillies was won by Jennifer, giving jockey Alfouraidi his second win of the day. Shadawah and Qaatefah came in second and throw respectively.
The Jockeys Challenge was hotting up and a familiar name was about to make a break from the rest of field in the sixth race of the day.
The third Jockeys Challenge saw Smith win again, this time riding Paris, to lead the table with a maximum of 30 points. Yutaka Take came second on Makhbour and Camilo Ospina third on Walad Almeterfah.
The fourth and final Jockeys Challenge race of the day went to Vogt, riding, Sabeq’hom, followed by Emma-Jane Wilson on Alshatherwan in second and Frankie Dettori on Sha’erah in third. The results meant that Smith, who came in fifth, won the overall challenge with 33 points.
“It was fun way to start with the International Jockeys Challenge,” Smith said. “The first time that women given the opportunity to ride here and they proved that they belong here, they’re brilliant riders.
Smith also praised the dirt course ahead of the Saudi Cup the following day.
“It’s probably one of the best dirt courses I’ve ever been on, and I’m not just saying that,” he added. “I’m telling you, America should take a page out of you book and do something like this.
Vogt couldn’t hide her delight at claiming her 97th career win, especially as it meant beating a very special opponent.
“My idol is Frankie Dettori and I’m so happy he was behind me,” she said.
In the day’s final race, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman Universty Prize, Angel Moreno finished victorious on AlHajjrafee in a very tight race with Mohammed Alnefzi on Heloo Algharam and Morales and Yeshrah Albaal breathing down his neck.
Mike Smith wins Jockey Challenge, as female riders make history ahead of Saudi Cup extravaganza
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Mike Smith wins Jockey Challenge, as female riders make history ahead of Saudi Cup extravaganza
- Smith also praised the dirt course ahead of the Saudi Cup the following day
Man City crush Brighton to close gap on Arsenal in title race
- Guardiola: “It is a good result for us, really good”
Pep Guardiola’s side were in imperious mood at the Amex Stadium from the moment Kevin De Bruyne headed them into an early lead.
England forward Foden struck twice before the interval to put the result beyond doubt.
Julian Alvarez ended his goal drought after half-time to ensure injured striker Erling Haaland wasn’t missed as his absence with a muscle problem stretched to a second successive game.
“It is a good result for us, really good,” Guardiola said. “I said before, what we have done in the past, it does not mean we will do it in the future.
“We know the margins are so tight. We have to win every one. Each game we are closer.”
Liverpool’s surprise defeat at Everton on Wednesday was a welcome boost for City in the title race after Arsenal had thrashed Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday.
And City’s stroll on the south coast kept the destiny of the title in their hands.
Guardiola’s team, who have a game in hand on both Arsenal and third-placed Liverpool, will be crowned champions for an unprecedented fourth successive season if they win their last five matches.
With at least four goals in each of their last four league games, City are rounding into form at just the right moment once again.
But Guardiola warned: “What happened to Liverpool, two defeats in a row, it can happen to Arsenal, it can happen to us.
“What is important is that still we are there. There are a lot of games to play.”
Next up for City, who are unbeaten in 18 league games, is a trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, while Arsenal head to Tottenham just hours earlier.
Guardiola has bemoaned the “unacceptable” fixture schedule that he believes puts his players’ health at risk, blaming the pile-up for their sluggish performance in Saturday’s 1-0 win against Chelsea in the FA Cup semifinals.
While City searched for the energy to propel them a step closer to the title, Brighton couldn’t have been any fresher as they played for the first time in 12 days.
But there was no sign of any weariness from the champions as they took the lead with a typically eye-catching move in the 17th minute.
Foden took possession 30 yards from goal and drifted toward the right flank, where his astute pass found Kyle Walker’s run.
Walker floated a pin-point cross into the area and De Bruyne timed his run perfectly as the Belgian’s diving header lifted the ball over Brighton keeper Jason Steele into the roof of the net.
De Bruyne’s fourth goal in his last five games marked the first time the midfielder had scored with his head in his Premier League career.
In a rare moment of concern for the City defense, Brighton nearly snatched an immediate equalizer, but Lewis Dunk’s header was too close to Ederson.
Guardiola’s men doubled their lead in the 26th minute thanks to a stroke of luck when Foden won a dubious free-kick.
Foden didn’t waste the opportunity, unleashing a powerful shot that took a wicked deflection off Pascal Gross as it flashed past the wrong-footed Steele.
The England forward’s 23rd goal in all competitions this season was followed by his 24th eight minutes later.
City’s relentless pressing panicked Brighton’s Valentin Barco into surrendering possession to Bernardo Silva and Foden seized on the loose ball, driving a clinical finish into the far corner from 12 yards.
Alvarez had scored once in his previous 16 games and Haaland’s replacement ended that barren run with his first league goal since January in the 62nd minute.
Walker lost control of the ball after breaking into the area, but his lunging tackle stopped Steele collecting it and Alvarez pounced to slot home from close range.
Spinners help IPL’s lowest ranked Bengaluru defeat Hyderabad
- Faf du Plessis-led RCB won the toss and scored a par 206-7, setting a 207 run target for Hyderabad
- Hyderabad could only score 171-8 as RCB registered only their second win in nine games
HYDERABAD: Indian spinners Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh took four key wickets to help IPL’s lowest-ranked Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 35 runs in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Earlier, Faf du Plessis-led RCB won the toss and scored a par 206-7, setting a 207 run target for Hyderabad’s in-form batting unit which has already broken some IPL batting records this season.
Hyderabad could only score 171-8 as RCB registered only their second win in nine games and are still languishing at the bottom of the 10-team table.
Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli hit a slow 43-ball 51 and stitched a 48-run opening partnership with Plessis, who fell after hitting 12-ball 25.
England’s Will Jacks (6) fell early before Rajat Patidar’s explosive 20-ball 50 propelled Bengaluru to 130 in the 13th over, when the rookie batter fell to Indian veteran pacer Jaydev Unadkat.
Kohli fell in the 15th over leaving RCB reeling at 140-4 as their innings lost some momentum and wickets of Mahipal Lomror (7) and Dinesh Karthik (11) by the 19th over.
Australia’s star all-rounder Cameron Green hit an unbeaten 20-ball 37 to provide a final flourish as Unadkat (3-30) and T Natarajan (2-39) finished with five wickets between them.
Hyderabad’s explosive openers, Australia’s Travis Head and Indian rookie Abhishek Sharma, failed to build a partnership Thursday.
Head (1) fell in the very first over of the chase to spinner Jacks and Sharma hit 13-ball 31 before he fell in the fourth over to leave Sunrisers at 2-37.
Bengaluru’s Karn and Swapnil took three key middle-order wickets — Aiden Markram (7), Nitish Kumar Reddy (13), and Heinrich Klaasen (7) — to leave Hyderabad at 5-69 in the eighth over of the chase.
Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins, who hit 15-ball 31 with three sixes, provided some lower-order flourish before dismissal to national teammate Green, who bowled two tight overs for 12 runs and two wickets.
Hyderabad is still comfortably placed on the third spot in the IPL table and Cummins said that he “won’t dwell on this one too much.”
Winning captain Plessis said that their team had “been close for a while but you need to win matches to get confidence in the group.”
“Massive win for us. When you’re not winning it does affect you mentally, it does affect your confidence,” he added.
“You can’t speak confidence into the group, you can’t fake confidence into the group.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan fully committed to growth of snooker in Saudi Arabia
- ‘I always try to support the youngsters coming through and I’ll be doing the same in Saudi Arabia,’ star says after 1st-round win at the 2024 World Championship in Sheffield
- The 7-time world champion this month signed a 3-year partnership with Riyadh Season, and plans were announced for a snooker academy in the Kingdom bearing his name
LONDON: Snooker superstar Ronnie O’Sullivan, the hot favorite to win the 2024 World Championship that is underway in the English city of Sheffield, said he is fully committed to the development of the sport in Saudi Arabia.
The seven-time world champion this month signed a three-year partnership agreement with Riyadh Season, and plans were announced to establish a snooker academy in the country bearing his name.
Speaking after a 10-1 first-round victory over Jackson Page at The Crucible on Thursday, O’Sullivan reiterated his dedication to the development of snooker in the Kingdom and the wider Gulf region.
“I love helping grassroots snooker,” he told SportsBoom.com. “I’ve done a lot in China, previously, and I have a lot of academies out there. I always try to support the youngsters coming through and I’ll be doing the same in Saudi Arabia.
“It’s great for snooker; we need grassroots. It’s great to be a part of helping that new generation coming through.”
O’Sullivan said he is eager to work with Saudi investors to help grow snooker in the region and expand its global reach from its traditional heartland in the UK. He added that he will visit the Kingdom several times a year, even outside of tournament appearances, in his efforts to actively contribute to the expansion of the sport.
“We haven’t decided but whatever his excellency (Turki Alalshikh, chairperson of the General Entertainment Authority) wants to do, I’ll be happy to discuss anything with him.”
O’Sullivan’s enthusiasm for raising the profile the sport in the Kingdom is supported by Barry Hearn, the president of promotions company Matchroom Sport.
Hearn said O’Sullivan is the ideal person to help develop the game in previously untapped markets and will play a pivotal role in the plans for Saudi Arabia. He drew parallels with the effect British boxer Anthony Joshua has had on the development of boxing in the Kingdom.
“We’ve opened 16 gyms over there since Joshua did his first fight and we’ll be looking to open a similar amount of snooker clubs, with Ronnie as the spearhead,” he said.
Hearn also confirmed the plans to establish a dedicated Ronnie O’Sullivan Snooker Academy to help grow the sport in the region and said Matchroom will supply coaches to work there.
“The Ronnie O’Sullivan Academy will be opened this year, which will be the focal point, and we’ll be sending some of our coaches over to Saudi (Arabia) full-time,” he added.
O’Sullivan is due to take on Ryan Day on Sunday in the second round of the World Championship.
New Zealand outclass Pakistan to win 4th T20I
- Opener Tim Robinson hit a half-century to ensure New Zealand reached 178-7 in 20 overs
- Pacer William O’ Rourke returned figures of 3-27 to keep Pakistan down to 174-8 in 20 overs
LAHORE: Experienced allrounder Jimmy Neesham kept his cool to defend six off the last ball to clinch a four-run victory for New Zealand on Thursday in the fourth Twenty20 international against Pakistan in Lahore.
Pakistan needed 18 off the last over in their chase of 179 but Neesham came out in flying colors despite being hit for a boundary off the first ball, giving a packed Qaddafi Stadium crowd heartbreaks.
Opener Tim Robinson hit a maiden half century to lift New Zealand to 178-7 in 20 overs before pacer William O’Rourke claimed 3-27 to keep Pakistan down to 174-8.
Returning allrounder Imad Wasim (22 not out) managed to hit the last ball for a single as New Zealand take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-match series with the last game on Saturday, also in Lahore.
Pakistan also lost the third match by seven wickets after winning the first by the same margin while the first match was abandoned after just two balls — all three in Rawalpindi.
The defeats are a jolt to a full-strength Pakistan side in their preparations for the Twenty20 World Cup to be held in the United States and the West Indies in June.
New Zealand, missing a host of players due to Indian Premier League, injuries and unavailability, can feel elated at their bench strength going into the World Cup.
Pakistan sensed they were in with a chance when Fakhar Zaman, who made 45-ball 61 with three sixes and four boundaries, lifted Pakistan from 79-4 with a 59-run stand for the fifth wicket with Iftikhar Ahmed who made a 20-ball 23.
But O’Rourke, playing only his fourth T20I, dismissed Ahmed to add to his wickets of Babar Azam (five) and Saim Ayub (20) to give New Zealand a boost.
Fellow pacer Ben Sears (2-27) claimed Zaman’s wicket with 33 needed off 14 balls.
Earlier, Robinson batted with aggression.
Robinson’s 36-ball 51 with two sixes and four fours lifted New Zealand — who were sent in to bat — to 93-1 in 10 overs before Abbas Afridi’s career best 3-20 helped Pakistan pull back.
New Zealand started briskly with Robinson and Tom Blundell, who made 28 off 15, putting on 56 for the opening stand in five overs.
But from 94-1 New Zealand lost three wickets, including that of dangerman Mark Chapman for eight, as Pakistan’s fielders held catches to back some good bowling by Abbas.
Dean Foxcroft chipped in with 34 off 26 deliveries and skipper Michael Bracewell added 27 to keep the scoreboard ticking as New Zealand managed 43 in the last five overs.
Pakistan were forced to make five changes as wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and Muhammad Irfan Khan were injured while they rested Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed.
Spanish govt to ‘oversee’ scandal-hit football federation
- The CSD said it will create a “commission of supervision, standardization and representation” led by “independent personalities“
- Former Spain coach and 2010 World Cup winner Vicente del Bosque could be one of the members of this commission
MADRID: The Spanish government decided Thursday to create a commission to “oversee” the country’s scandal-hit football federation (RFEF) and try to pull it out of crisis.
“The Spanish government adopted this decision to redress the serious situation of the RFEF so that the organization could enter a stage of renewal in a stable climate,” the National Sports Council (CSD), an agency dependent on the Ministry of Sports, announced.
Spain are set to host the 2030 World Cup along with Portugal and Morocco, but in recent months the RFEF has lurched from one embarrassment to another.
The CSD said it will create a “commission of supervision, standardization and representation” led by “independent personalities” which will “oversee the RFEF during the coming months in response to the federation’s crisis and in defense of Spain’s general interests.”
According to the Spanish press, former Spain coach and 2010 World Cup winner Vicente del Bosque could be one of the members of this commission.
However, world and European football governing bodies FIFA and UEFA issued a statement expressing “great concern” at the situation around the RFEF.
“FIFA and UEFA will seek additional information to assess the extent to which the CSD’s appointment (of the committee)... may affect the RFEF’s obligation to manage its affairs independently and without undue government interference,” they said.
FIFA suspended Zimbabwe and Kenya’s memberships over government interference in 2022, subsequently lifting the bans.
Former RFEF president Luis Rubiales resigned in disgrace last September after his forcible kiss on the lips of Women’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso and is now being investigated in a separate corruption probe.
The only candidate to replace Rubiales, Pedro Rocha, is also being investigated, while a report from the country’s leading sports court said the RFEF had taken decisions “beyond its remit.”
One such decision was the renewal of Spain coach Luis de la Fuente’s contract in February.
It was the sport court’s report that led to Thursday’s CSD decision to oversee the federation.
Elections for the RFEF presidency are currently scheduled for May 6.
The Secretary of State for Sport and CSD president, Jose Manuel Uribes, on Thursday urged the RFEF “to limit its functions to the mere ordinary administration of the entity, as required by law.”
The CSD will meet again next Tuesday to analyze the situation and make a ruling, if necessary, on the corruption case opened by the sports court against Rocha, who took over from Rubiales on an interim basis.
In a year when the RFEF will be responsible for Spain’s teams at the European Championship and the Olympic Games, the Spanish government is aiming “to restore the reputation, the good name and the image of Spanish football and complete the electoral process with a renewed assembly for the 2024-2028 period,” said Uribes in the CSD statement.
“We have to look after what we have in the future, the immediate future, which is the planning of the World Cup,” Uribes said in an appearance at Spain’s Congress of Deputies.
He pledged that the government will do everything to sort out the “unacceptable situation” at the RFEF.
Uribes also said he was “in constant communication with FIFA” regarding the RFEF.
“The CSD is going to guarantee that Spanish football maintains its excellence at the sporting level and also stands out as exemplary at the institutional level,” Uribes insisted on Thursday.
